for dear life

Idioms  

1. Also, for one's life. Desperately, urgently, so as to save one's life. For example, When the boat capsized, I hung on for dear life, or With the dogs chasing them they ran for their lives, or She wanted that vase but I saw it first and hung on to it for dear life. These expressions are sometimes hyperbolic (that is, one's life may not actually be in danger). The first dates from the mid-1800s, the variant from the first half of the 1600s. Also see for the life of one.

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Example Sentences

But that old bookcase floated, and Uppity hung on for dear life as the water carried him downstream.

From Literature

I couldn’t exactly relax, because I had to hold on for dear life, but it was all the rest I could get after my frantic getaway.

From Literature

"Funnily enough, I don't have many regrets in the fifth set because I was hanging on for dear life, to be honest. I was exhausted."

From Barron's

“We got there and we just held on for dear life,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal

As Joshua’s jabs began poking through, a wobbly Paul pivoted to a new tactic: hanging on for dear life.

From The Wall Street Journal